Barrett Brown is an American activist, author, and freelance writer/journalist. His work has appeared in The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, Businessweek, and many other outlets. He has appeared as a guest on MSNBC, Fox News and Russia Today.

On September 12, 2012 Barrett Brown was raided and arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation while he was participating in a Tinychat session. He was subsequently denied bail and detained without charge and adequate medical treatment for over two weeks while in the custody of US Marshals.

In the first week of October 2012, Barrett was indicted on three counts related to alleged activities or postings on websites such as Twitter and YouTube, in which he postured for the return of property which was taken from him in March, and expressed frustration at the targeted campaign against him and a member of his family. The Department of Justice issued a press release on October 4th.

Despite his lack of direct involvement in the operation and stated opposition to this aspect, Barrett faces these charges for the alleged act of pasting a hyperlink into an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel.

On January 23rd, 2013 he was indicted a third time on two more counts, relating to the March 2012 FBI raid(s) on his apartment and his mother’s house.

Barrett has pleaded not guilty in all three cases. He is currently incarcerated while awaiting trial in Mansfield, TX.

At this critical time, with such a prominent internet activist facing an extremely difficult legal battle and uncertain future, he needs our unwavering help and support. We encourage you to donate to his defense, so that he may have the resources he needs to fight these charges. Your prospective contribution has significance in a wider campaign for free speech and transparency both on the internet and across the world.